01Two ways to run short-let linen
Every short let needs clean sheets and towels for every stay. There are two broad ways to get them. In the first, you own the linen: you buy sheets, towels and the rest, and pay someone (or your cleaner, or yourself) to wash them. In the second, you hire the linen: a company owns the stock, delivers clean sets, collects dirty ones and charges you per set or per item, with washing included.
Both models work, and many successful hosts in London use each. Which one suits you depends on how many properties you run, how busy they are, how much control you want over quality and look, how much storage you have and how much money you want to tie up at the start. Some hosts start with one and switch to the other as their portfolio grows. Some run a mixture: hired sheets with owned towels, or owned linen in their best flats and hired linen elsewhere.
This guide sets out how each model works, what it costs in practice, what can go wrong and how to choose. It is written to be neutral. ArkLaundry currently launders hosts' own linen rather than hiring linen out, and the help box at the end says so, but the comparison below is meant to be useful whichever way you go.
02How owning your linen works
When you own your linen, you buy the stock, usually three sets per bed plus extra towels and pillowcases. The linen lives in the flat or in a store cupboard you control. After each changeover, used linen goes to be washed, either in the flat, at your home, or by a laundry service that collects it, washes it and returns it folded.
What you pay for
- The initial purchase of every sheet, duvet cover, pillowcase, towel and bath mat.
- Washing: either your cleaner's time and the flat's energy, or a laundry's charge per set, per item or per kilo.
- Replacement of items that wear out, are stained beyond saving or go missing.
- Storage space for clean stock.
What you control
You choose the fabric, the colour, the weave, the towel weight and the brand. You decide when linen is too tired and needs replacing. Every set in every flat matches your listing photos exactly, because it is your linen. If a guest compliments the sheets, you know exactly which ones to buy again.
03How linen hire works
With linen hire, a supplier owns a pool of linen and lends it to you. Clean sets are delivered, usually bagged or wrapped, and used linen is collected on the same visit or on a schedule. You pay a charge per set or per item that covers the use of the linen and its washing. Some suppliers also charge for delivery, minimum orders or missing and damaged items.
What you pay for
- A per-set or per-item charge each time linen is delivered.
- Possibly a delivery charge, a minimum order or a monthly fee, depending on the supplier.
- Charges for linen that is lost, stained beyond use or damaged.
- Sometimes a deposit or an account set-up fee.
What you give up
You use the supplier's linen, which is usually a standard white range shared across many customers. You do not choose the fabric or decide when an item is too worn to use, although a good supplier will take back anything that is not up to standard. The linen in your photos is the supplier's, and it may change if they change their range.
04Comparing the cost properly
Hosts often compare the price of a hired set with the price of washing an owned set and stop there. That leaves out half the picture. A fair comparison counts everything over a full year.
| Cost | Owning your linen | Hiring linen |
|---|---|---|
| Up-front | Buying three sets per bed and extras | Little or none; sometimes a deposit |
| Per changeover | Washing charge or cleaner time and energy | Hire charge per set or item |
| Replacement | You buy new items as stock wears | Included, within the supplier's rules |
| Loss and damage | You replace missing or ruined items | Usually charged by the supplier |
| Storage | You need space for clean stock | You may need less, depending on delivery |
| Admin | Counting, buying, reordering | Ordering sets, checking deliveries and invoices |
Working out your own numbers
To compare, estimate how many changeovers each bed will have in a year. Multiply by the washing cost per set if you own linen, add the cost of buying the stock divided by the number of years you expect it to last, and add an allowance for replacements and losses. For hire, multiply the number of changeovers by the hire charge per set and add any delivery fees, minimum orders and damage charges. Do the sums for a quiet year and a busy year, because the answer can change with occupancy.
Where each model tends to win
In general, owning tends to cost less over time for hosts with steady, high occupancy who look after their stock. Hire tends to suit hosts who want no up-front cost, have very little storage, or have unpredictable occupancy and do not want to own stock that sits unused in quiet months. These are tendencies, not rules: your own figures decide.
05Quality, look and guest experience
Guests do not know or care who owns the linen. They care how it looks, feels and smells. Both models can deliver excellent linen, and both can deliver poor linen.
With owned linen
The quality is in your hands. You can buy the exact sheets and towels that match your listing's style, from crisp white percale to relaxed washed linen or soft grey towels. If an item starts to look tired, you replace it. The risk is that hosts under pressure keep tired linen in service too long, or wash it badly at home.
With hired linen
Hire suppliers usually provide a consistent white hotel-style range. That suits many listings perfectly. It suits less well if your flat is styled around a particular look, or if you advertise a specific kind of bedding. You are also relying on the supplier's quality control; a worn towel or a faint stain may arrive in a sealed set and only be spotted by the cleaner, or by the guest.
Consistency across a portfolio
Hosts with several flats value consistency: every bed looking the same, every towel matching. Both models can deliver it. With owned linen, buy from one range and keep a record. With hire, consistency is built in, as long as the supplier keeps the same range.
06Control over the details
Control is the biggest difference between the two models, and it matters more to some hosts than to others.
Owned linen gives you control over
- Exactly which fabrics, sizes, colours and towel weights you use.
- When a set is retired and replaced.
- How it is washed, at what temperature and with what detergent, within the label.
- Whether it is pressed or just folded.
- How it is packed, labelled and grouped.
Hired linen gives control to the supplier over
- The linen range and how it changes.
- When an item is considered worn out.
- Washing methods and detergents.
- Packing, labelling and delivery windows.
When control matters most
Control matters most for listings at the top of the market, those styled around a distinctive look, and hosts whose guests have particular needs, such as allergies or a preference for certain fabrics. It matters less for hosts who want a dependable, standard white bed and do not want to think about linen at all.
07Storage and space
London flats are small. Storage for three sets per bed, plus a reserve, can be a real problem in a studio or one-bedroom flat with no spare cupboard.
With owned linen
You need space for at least one clean set per bed, in the flat or nearby, and somewhere to keep the reserve. If the laundry delivers clean sets on a regular schedule, the flat itself may only need to hold one or two sets per bed, with the rest at the laundry or in transit.
With hired linen
The supplier holds the pool, so you may need less space, although you still need somewhere to keep clean sets between delivery and use, and somewhere to leave used linen for collection.
Practical storage ideas
- Vacuum bags under beds or on high shelves.
- A lockable cupboard or a lockable box in a hallway cupboard, so guests do not use the spares.
- Shelving inside a wardrobe that guests are told is for the host.
- Storage with your cleaner, if they cover several flats nearby.
08Losses, stains and damage
Linen goes missing and gets damaged in every short let. Who pays, and how, differs between the models.
With owned linen
Losses and damage come straight out of your pocket as replacement purchases. The upside is that you decide what counts as damaged; a faint mark that will not show on the bed can stay in the reserve.
With hired linen
Suppliers commonly charge for items not returned and for items stained or damaged beyond normal wear. Read the terms closely, especially what counts as normal wear, how missing items are counted, and how disputes are handled. Stains from make-up, fake tan and hair dye are common in short lets and may be charged.
Counting either way
Whichever model you use, count linen in and out. With owned linen, counting tells you when stock is leaking. With hired linen, counting protects you from being charged for items you did return.
09Flexibility and seasonality
Short-let occupancy in London rises and falls with the seasons, school holidays and events. The two models handle those swings differently.
With owned linen
You buy enough stock for your busy periods, which means some of it sits idle in quiet months. On the other hand, there is nothing to order at short notice: the linen is yours and available.
With hired linen
You pay only for the sets you use, which suits fluctuating occupancy. In very busy periods, suppliers can be stretched, so check how much notice they need and whether they can cover last-minute bookings.
Last-minute bookings
Same-day and next-day bookings are common in London. With owned linen, a spare set in the cupboard covers them. With hire, check whether the supplier can deliver at short notice, or keep a small owned reserve as backup.
10Mixing the two
Many hosts find that a mixed approach suits them best. A few common combinations:
- Owned towels with hired sheets, because towels are what guests judge most closely.
- Owned linen in the best flats and hired linen in the rest.
- Hired linen for most stays, with a small owned reserve for emergencies.
- Owned linen with a laundry service, and a hire supplier as backup in peak season.
Keeping a mix tidy
If you mix, keep the two stocks clearly apart. Mixing hired and owned items in the same bag leads to arguments about what belongs to whom, and to hired items being lost or charged for. Label bags and cupboards clearly, and tell your cleaner which is which.
11Switching from one model to the other
Hosts switch for all sorts of reasons: a hire supplier's prices change, a host wants more control as the listing moves upmarket, or a growing portfolio makes owning stock more economical.
From hire to owning
Plan the switch so that new owned stock is washed and ready before the last hired sets are returned. Count and return every hired item and keep a signed or emailed record of what was handed back. Decide on your laundry arrangement before you start.
From owning to hire
Decide what to do with your existing stock: keep it as a reserve, sell it, donate it or use it as cleaning cloths. Make sure your cleaner knows not to mix old owned linen with the hired sets.
Overlap period
A short overlap of a week or two, where both systems run, avoids gaps. It costs a little more but prevents a check-in going wrong while the new system beds in.
12Questions to ask a hire supplier
If you are considering linen hire, these questions help you compare suppliers and avoid surprises.
- What exactly is in a set, and what sizes do you cover?
- What fabric and weight are the sheets and towels?
- How are sets packed and labelled?
- What are the delivery days and windows, and how much notice do you need?
- Is there a minimum order, a delivery charge or a monthly fee?
- How are missing items counted, and what do you charge?
- What counts as damage beyond normal wear, and what do you charge for stains?
- What happens if a delivered set is stained or damaged?
- How much notice is needed to change or cancel the service?
13Questions to ask a laundry if you own your linen
If you own your linen and want a laundry service to wash it, the questions are different.
- How do you collect and return: from the flat, the concierge or the cleaner?
- What days can you collect, and how long does linen take to come back?
- Do you price per set, per item or per kilo?
- Are collection and delivery free, and above what order value?
- Do you wash to the care label and dry fully?
- Do you press duvet covers and pillowcases, or fold only?
- How do you handle stains, and do you flag items that will not come clean?
- How do you count items in and out?
14Deciding which model fits
These questions, answered honestly, usually point the way.
| Question | Points towards owning | Points towards hire |
|---|---|---|
| How much do you want to spend up front? | You can invest in stock | You want little or no up-front cost |
| How important is a particular look? | Very important | A standard white bed is fine |
| How steady is your occupancy? | Steady and high | Very variable |
| How much storage do you have? | Some space for stock | Almost none |
| How much admin do you want? | Happy to manage stock | Want the least possible |
| How many flats do you run? | Several, with a shared reserve | One or two, or scattered widely |
A decision in practice
Take a single flat and work through the numbers for a year. Include everything: buying, washing, replacing and losses for owning; hire charges, delivery, minimums and damage charges for hiring. Then weigh the numbers against the things that do not show up in a spreadsheet: control, look, flexibility and peace of mind.
15London logistics: access, parking and timing
Whichever model you choose, linen has to get in and out of the building. In London, that is often the hardest part.
Access
Many blocks have a concierge or a post room that will accept bags, but some will only hold items for a short time, and some will not accept laundry at all. Converted houses often have no secure place to leave bags, so collections need to happen while someone is there or through a key safe. Ask the building's rules before you rely on any arrangement.
Parking and loading
Delivery vans in central London face loading restrictions, parking bays that are rarely free and charges for entering certain zones. These all affect how reliably a supplier can arrive at a particular time. Suppliers who use bikes or small vans for central routes often keep tighter windows.
Timing around check-out and check-in
Collection is easiest when it happens shortly after check-out, while the cleaner is still in the flat. Delivery of clean linen is most useful before the cleaner arrives, so sets are waiting. If the supplier or laundry cannot match those times, keep enough clean stock in the flat that timing does not matter.
Estates and gated buildings
Gated developments, estates with fob-only entry and buildings with strict delivery hours all need a plan. Give the laundry or supplier clear instructions, including the right entrance, the concierge's hours and a contact number.
16Why every host needs a small reserve
Whichever model you choose, one habit protects you more than any other: keeping a small reserve of clean linen that belongs to you and sits outside the normal cycle.
A reserve covers the days when the system breaks. A collection is missed because of a traffic incident. A delivery arrives with a stained set. A guest spills red wine across the bed at midnight on the first night of a long stay. A cleaner falls ill and the replacement cannot find the cupboard. On any of those days, a single clean set kept in a known place is the difference between a calm fix and a ruined stay.
The reserve does not need to be large. For a single flat, one complete set per bed size and a few extra towels is usually enough. For a portfolio, a few sets of each size kept centrally can cover several properties. Keep the reserve sealed or bagged, label it clearly, and replace anything taken from it as soon as possible. Check it every few months so it stays fresh and nothing has quietly gone missing.
If you hire linen, the reserve is especially worth having, because you cannot simply wash an item of your own to fill a gap. If you own linen, the reserve is what stops a late laundry return from becoming a cancelled booking.
17Three example hosts
These examples are illustrations, not real customers, but they show how the same question can have different answers.
A single studio near a busy station
One host has a single studio with very high occupancy and almost no storage: there is room for one spare set in a drawer under the bed and nothing else. They want minimal admin and have no time to buy or count linen. Hire is attractive here, because storage is so limited and the host values simplicity. The host might still keep one owned spare set for emergencies.
Three flats in one block
Another host runs three similar flats in the same building, all two-bedroom, all styled the same way. Occupancy is steady and high. They have a cupboard in one flat that can hold a reserve for all three. Owning makes sense: buying one range for all six beds gives consistency, and a laundry collecting from the concierge once or twice a week keeps the system simple. Over a year, owning is likely to cost less.
A large family house
A third host lets a large family house for longer stays during school holidays and much less often the rest of the year. The bedding includes bunk beds, a cot and a sofa bed. Owning suits this house because the bed sizes and extras are unusual, and occupancy is too uneven for a hire contract to make sense in quiet months. Linen is washed by a laundry after each stay.
How ArkLaundry helps
At present we launder your own linen rather than hiring it out. We collect from the flat, cleaner or concierge, wash and fold in sets, and return them, from £14.50 for a double set, excluding VAT.
